With the smell of turkey legs and roasted nuts in the air, droves of people walk contently through the bustling streets of Baldwin City. For one weekend every year, hundreds of people from miles away make the journey to witness the somewhat small and sleepy town metamorphosis into a grand festival. With its own carnival, parade and a seemingly infinite number of booths, Maple Leaf has been a fun way to spend time with freinds and family members while partacing in the many festivities that it offers. After the conclusion of this years festivities, students and faculty chimed in on their thoughts about the Baldwin tradition.

Baldwin High School sophomore Mackenzie Russell had a positive comment on how she felt about the festival.

“I think it’s really great because a lot of people from a lot of different places can get together and have fun,” she said.

BHS teacher Kit Harris also saw Maple Leaf as a positive event.

“It’s a community-wide event that celebrates our town and the people and groups in it,” he said.

A common thought seemed to be that the only problem with the celebration was that it was too packed for some individual’s likes.

“I didn’t like the set up this year, it felt more crowded,” BHS sophomore Alex Carlisle commented.

Russell agreed with the thought of the event being too crowded.

“I dislike the amount of traffic and how hard it is to get around,” she said.

That does not mean that the festival was seen as unsuccessful. Russell even said that she would prefer that nothing changed.

“I think it’s good as it is,” she said.

Despite some possible problems with the traffic and crowded tone of the Festival this year, it seems as though many find it to be a fun and interesting way to spend a weekend and with the large number of people who attended this year, it is likely that the fame and popularity of Maple Leaf will continue to grow.